Who Are You?
by Wendy402
Summary: Who are you? How many times have that question repeated over and over in your life? You, a mere 17 year old, you could never have done what you did. You were a nobody. You belonged nowhere.


**First time writing a SAO fic _and _my first time writing in second-person narrative. Doesn't really have a plot, but I like trying something new. Hope you guys enjoy!**

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><p>Who are you?<p>

How many times have that question repeated over and over in your life? You, a mere 17 year old, you could never have done what you did.

You were just a boy, a boy who was hooked to computers and virtual games, a boy who wanted to get away from the world.

You were a nobody.

You belonged nowhere.

You didn't even have a real _family._

You had no parents, they were killed. Ever since then, your life went downhill. Your aunt decided to take you in, she felt _pity _for her sister's only child, and so she took you in, giving you what she _hoped, _was a family.

But it didn't help.

You didn't _want _her pity. You didn't _want _to be the only outsider in the family.

So you did what you could as their 'child' and spent all your time locked up, in another _fake_ world, away from that house, away from everything.

You felt _alive_ in a world that didn't exist, that was completely _fake._

Yet everything in that world felt so much more _real. _

_There,_ was where you belonged. _There, _was where you were truly _you._

Then why? Then why did that blasted Kayaba Akihiko had to take the only thing you had left?

He took that beautiful world from you, changing and altering it into something that was _horrifying_. The beautiful metal castle flying high above the clouds was supposed to be something everyone would learn to love and enjoy, yet he changed it so that only fear would be born and kept.

You were accused of being a cheater, letting other people die when you clearly knew the attack patterns of the boss. You called yourself the only beater of the game, acting arrogant and separating yourself from all other players. You wore your coat of midnight, black, a color often used for villains.

You made yourself the villain of the game to protect others.

All you thought about was surviving. You wanted no friends. You were a burden, and you didn't want anyone to hate you.

After all, you had already caused a whole guild to die.

They were wonderful people, the Moonlit Black Cats. They were friendly people, so friendly that they took _you_, the Black Swordsman, into their guild.

But they didn't even _know _youwere the infamous Black Swordsman, the only person who made it farther than any other beta tester.

And because of that, they had died.

It was painful, because you knew it was your fault.

They had _died_ because of you.

If they never've met you, perhaps there would have been five more people alive in this world. Perhaps there would have been five more happy people that could see the real world again.

But there isn't.

You had _loved_ her, Sachi, a girl sweet and shy, yet you were _too weak to save her._ It tore you apart.

This taught you a lesson. It's better to be alone. No one will get hurt, no one will die and most importantly, _you_ will feel better.

You spent two full years, wandering around, leveling up until your level was so high you could practically be called invincible, meeting people that you thought you would most likely never meet again.

You were kind, really. But it was better to be misunderstood because that would keep you and others out of trouble.

You were dangerous.

Then you met _her_.

Yuuki Asuna was such a big contrast to you, all she wore was her white and crimson Knights of the Blood Oath uniform. Her light chestnut hair and your black hair didn't even match.

Yet somehow you kept on seeing her. She seemed to appear everywhere, in the first boss floor, in the small corner of the town eating alone, then in the Knights of the Blood Oath, the top guild in SAO.

She just _got_ to you.

Asuna was a beauty, no doubt. All males in SAO looked at her in admiration, perhaps even lust and you didn't know _when,_ but you started to get _jealous_ at those unholy looks others were shooting her.

When you were so close to death, all you thought of was _her. _You didn't _want _to die then, no matter how many times you told yourself before that it didn't matter anymore. You were a solo player and no one would care.

Her picture, your short time together, flashed before your eyes when Kuradeel was striking you over and over and over again, screaming with glee for you to die.

It was also Asuna who saved you, just in the nick of time, and cried out of worry for you. _No one_ had done that, and when Kuradeel had fooled her into believing that he didn't want to die and would change for the better, attacking her when her guard was down, you stroke.

You were possessed, your whole body completely overwhelmed with the overpowering thought of protecting that girl.

Nothing else mattered in that moment but her safety.

You lost your left hand by blocking his sword, but you struck him painfully in the stomach, successfully killing him.

_"Murderer."_

Was he right? Were you truly a murderer? For a second, for a terrible moment, you were afraid Asuna would stare at you in horror, scream and then run.

You were afraid that Asuna would treat you like a murderer as well, wanting nothing to do with you.

But instead, when you turned around, you found her crying and apologizing.

_"I'm sorry...This was...This was my fault, wasn't it?"_ Her soft cries burned into your mind, though her weren't facing her.

You called her name gently, turning your head slightly to face her, only to find her head hanging low in such a way that pained you incredibly.

_"I'm sorry! I...I shouldn't...I should stay away..."_ She chocked and sobbed, her beautiful eyes filled with tears.

_"...From now on."_ Those words tore you apart in the most painful way and the way she kept blaming herself shot through you. All you wanted to do was scream that she was wrong, that she shouldn't keep away, in fact, you wanted her closer, closer than before.

And so you did just that.

You grabbed her shoulder, and just that touch sent electricity down your spine. She stared at you with those lovely hazel eyes in question and you dragged her closer, closer, _closer_.

You pressed your dry lips against her soft ones and at that moment, nothing could have been better.

You had almost _died,_ for heaven's sake, and you didn't want to waste anymore time. For that one moment, you learned that every second is precious. You could die any second, and you wanted your time here in this death game to be special.

Her lips burned on yours and nothing made you more happy when she started to return the kiss. The joy building in your chest felt so overwhelming, nothing could have taken that away.

When you pulled away, you hung your head low, showing her your gratitude.

_"My life belongs to you, Asuna. So I will use it for you." _The way her name rolled off your tongue felt so right, and you never thought just a _word_ could make you tingle the way her name did.

_"Let's stay together until the end."_ You didn't even know why you blurted those words out, but the second you spoke them, you understood something.

_You loved her._

_"And I...I'll protect you, too. I'll protect you forever. So..." _Her voice was so soft, so gentle, so _loving,_ you felt alive again. Like it was truly _you_ then.

_"I'll see to it that you can go back to the other world, no matter what happens."_ You lifted her head and looked at her delicate figure, tears still brimmed the edges of her eyes, but she was no longer crying.

_"So...Today...Tonight, I want to stay with you."_ You gave her a small tender smile and you nearly kissed her again when she smiled that delightful smile and nodded her head, her cheeks slightly tainted pink.

You knew this was what you wanted.

_She_ was what you wanted.

She made you feel special, like it was truly _you. _Not Kirito, the beater, or even the Black Swordsman, but Kirigaya Kazuto.

Kirigaya Kazuto, a mere 17 year old whose parents died and was adopted into a family that he didn't belong to.

Time passed, though it seemed so quick. You married her, though it was in-game marriage, it was still meaningful for both of you.

You bought a house on the 22nd floor, a small cozy cabin that had the view of the forests and lakes. It was wonderful, and it was only more so when you knew you were spending all your time there with the girl you loved.

You had a lovely daughter, though she was an AI, she was still your lovely daughter. It felt like a true family there, a wife, a daughter, then you.

Life in that game was finally getting better, until you realized that Healthcliff, the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath, who people trust so much, was actually _Kayaba Akihiko._

Rage burned inside you when he offered you a chance to beat him right there. You wanted, no, _needed_ to kill him. You wanted to end the misery of the 6,147 people that were still alive in the game, still suffering. You wanted revenge for the 3,853 who have died, who will never return to their original world.

You wanted revenge for the Moonlit Black Cats, who took you in and treated you like their own.

Most importantly, you wanted revenge for Asuna's _fears, _for her tears, and her despair.

You grit your teeth and agreed to the duel impulsively, even though all your friends, including _her_, called for you to stop. It was a trap.

But you didn't care.

You went along, fighting, trying to get faster, faster, _faster. _You had to beat him in his own game, yet a part of you knew you couldn't.

You were planning to die there in the start.

Yet why didn't you?

_"I'm sorry, Asuna...You at least, need to live." _Those thoughts ran through your head as soon as you activated your sword skill, just what Kayaba was anticipating, and you knew it was all over when your sword broke.

Kayaba lifted his sword over his head, lust for your death dancing in his eyes.

_"Farewell, Kirito-kun."_

Your eyes widened in disbelief as a shadow jumped in front of you, shielding you, _protecting_ you.

You felt no pain, no stab, just emptiness.

Panic surged through you as you saw that it was _Asuna,_ who had shielded you from his hit. Her eyes shut tight from the blow and she stumbled backwards, towards you.

You gathered her in your arms, staring at the bright orange gash that ran from her shoulder diagonally to her torso.

You prayed, oh god you prayed that the damage wasn't too bad, that she would still have some HP left.

All hope was gone when you saw her HP bar drop to zero, the deafening sound that confirmed she was dead was the only thing you could hear.

She stared at you, with those same beautiful eyes and smiled her beautiful smile, her body turning ghostly white and transparent.

_"No, Asuna...This can't...This can't be..." _You stuttered, your eyes still wide as you stared at her. You tightened your hold on her, reassuring yourself that she was still there.

_"I'm sorry." _You sucked in your breath sharply. No, it couldn't be.

_"Goodbye." _Her words stung you as she closed her eyes, her tears silently falling down her smooth face before she turned into a million shards.

You stared at the shards, trying to grab them, not really comprehending what had just occurred.

You wanted to hold onto them, you didn't want them to disappear, but they did, along with your loved one.

Your legs gave way and you collapsed on your hands and knees, gasping at the agonizing pain that was building in your chest.

One shard fell and disappeared on your hand, the one with your wedding ring.

It's all over.

You didn't even hear what Kayaba Akihiko said afterwards, they were all rubbish anyways.

Your hands clenched as you heard the smile in his voice. How _could_ he? How could he still smile like nothing happened, even when _he_ had _killed someone?_

You reached for the sword that she dropped, laying at your side and unsheathed it. You took a few small steps forward, your swords heavy in your hands though that couldn't be, after all, your Extended Weight Limit skill was 949/1000.

You couldn't even hit him, you lost all your speed and strength from the blow of losing Asuna.

You heard Kayaba click his tongue amusingly, or perhaps it was pity, before he sighed and slapped your swords away. You stared at the fallen sword, Elucidator, before staring at the ground, your bangs covering your face.

It's all over.

You felt no pain when Kayaba stabbed you straight in the stomach, you didn't even flinch. You felt nothing.

You closed your eyes as you watched your HP dropping lower, lower, _lower._

_"I believe in you, Kirito-kun." _Her words echoed in your mind and you knew you couldn't give up. You couldn't give up _now,_ when you had already carried everyone's fate on your shoulders, when Asuna has put all her hope on you.

«You are dead» flashed in your vision but you clenched on Asuna's sword tightly, refusing to believe the truth, refusing to accept this as your fate.

Your need to kill Kayaba was so strong, it even surprised the GM. You couldn't blame him, it was unheard of for a dead player to still fight.

You took a few steps forward, building up your last strength. Lifting Lambent Light, you let out a battle cry and thrust it forward, penetrating it through Kayaba's torso.

The satisfying sound of his death filled you as he turned transparent as well.

_"Is this good enough?" _You wondered as you stared at Lambent Light, the azure jewel encrusted on it sparkled and you knew it was her way of saying yes.

The game was cleared. You had cleared the death game.

You woke up weak and frail in your hospital bed, you vision still blurry but the image of Asuna was so clear, it seemed as if she was waltzing right in front of you.

You took off your NerveGear, letting your long hair fall. It's grown longer in the past two years, you vaguely noted but didn't let it bother you at all.

You stood up, letting the wires attached to you to fall off. Your only thought was to find her, no matter what. Her name echoing in your mind over and over again.

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><p>Learning about her marriage to Sugou Nobuyuki tore you apart, and you knew she was going somewhere far away where you couldn't possibly go.<p>

That very morning you learned that Asuna was seen in a game called ALfheim Online and you vowed to investigate further, not wasting your chance of seeing her again.

That game was truly amazing, because you were able to meet your daughter again, after she was destroyed by Aincrad.

You met a girl, a pretty girl named Leafa and you two instantly became friends after you saved her from a group of Salamanders. She took you to the World Tree, where Asuna was supposedly seen, only to find out along the way that this girl was your sister all along.

Leafa mumbled something about this not being fair, before logging out and you followed suit, worried by her reactions.

You knocked politely on her door only to find a crying girl opening the door. She screamed about her feelings, about _loving _you.

You smiled at her acted as if you didn't know.

_"Love? But we're..."_ Sugu screamed again, screaming that she knew you were not her brother, just merely her cousin. She screamed at you for being so nice to her, for _caring_ again after so long of distancing yourself.

She blamed you for letting her know her true feelings for you.

Your sister—no, _cousin—_slammed the door in you face and you knew she was deeply hurt by you. You made no more attempt to talk to her, instead continued on with her to find Asuna.

It took you multiple tries before you were able get through the billions of guards only to find that players were never meant to enter the World Tree in the first place.

You didn't care, you forced your way through the locked gate of the World Tree and went to find Asuna.

The branches of the tree were a complete maze, and though you made it through with Yui by your side, it used up too much of your time.

Finally, _finally,_ you were able to get to her cage and the image painted in front of you, Asuna with Yui hugging with joy, was so soothing.

You slowly walked over and smiled in relief at her. She wiped her tears away and heard her call you again, after two long months.

Her touch sent electricity through your spine and you gave her a tender smile, leaning your foreheads together.

_"I'm sorry I'm late."_

_"No, I knew...I knew you'd come to save me." _The two of you stood there for a few peaceful moments, savoring the time that you two were finally together.

Just when you two were about to go to the labs and log out, you had sensed something unfamiliar, a threat.

The room distorted into a black space, none of you were able to stand, as if gravity was against you.

Violet electricity surrounded Yui and she told you to be careful, something bad was coming, before she disappeared in a flurry of red spots.

The two of you tried so hard to get closer, to hold hands and make sure you two would never separate but of course, fate never works that way.

Sugou—or as he called himself, Oberon—entered the room and stomped on you, as if the work of gravity magic wasn't enough.

He explained his motives for setting up ALO, using the 300 players from SAO that have yet to wake to experiment.

_"Who's going to stop me? Sadly, there's no god in this world." _He walked over slowly towards Asuna.

_"Except me!"_ He pointed his sword at her.

_"Now, before I begin altering your souls, let's have a fun party!"_ He snapped his fingers and instantly two chains fell down from the ceiling and he chained Asuna to them, making them drag her up so she was standing.

The disgusting things he was doing made you want to throw up. You struggled to stand up, but you couldn't beat the force of gravity.

_"Stop!" _You screamed and tried to stand on all fours, but he came over and kicked you in the face, making sure you stayed on the ground. He used your own sword to pierce through you like a pin on paper.

_"System command! Change pain absorber from level 10 to level 8." _You lay on the floor screaming in agony as the pain of the sword increased, the sadistic bastard laughing as he pushed the sword deeper in still.

He started blabbering about how below level 3, the pain would start to affect their physical bodies, but you paid no mind, only to the horrifying fact that Sugou was walking back to Asuna, dragging his two fingers over her stomach to her breasts.

You saw the way she turned away from the nasty feelings of his hands on her and you could do _absolutely nothing about it._

His deranged laughter filled the room as he continued to on what he was doing, ripping away her top.

Your eyes widened as her red bow fell in front of you and disappeared. He licked away her tears that started to brim her eyes and continued to grope her, his repulsive hands running through the body of the girl you love.

_"You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you!" _You yelled on the top of your lungs, though you knew that it was impossible for you to beat the GM. He knew as well because he spared you a small devious glance before going back to what he was doing.

Tears started to brim your own eyes as you watched that bastard sexually assaulting your lover, and it hurt _so damn much. _It was such a agonizing feeling, it felt like you were being suffocated.

Everything turned white, no more sounds of Sugou's laughter, no more sounds of crying, just emptiness.

_"Are you going to run?" _A voice echoed through the empty space, and once again, Kayaba Akihiko was standing in front of you.

_"No. I'm going to face reality." _You told him and he reminded you of how you had beat him in his own game, surpassed the game system.

_"Stand up, Kirito-kun." _He disappeared along with the white space and you again returned to that hell where Sugou was assaulting Asuna. But suddenly everything was so much clearer.

You knew only one thing: to beat Sugou at his own game like you have done before.

He had already started taking off Asuna's dress and caressed his way up her thighs. You slowly stood up, fighting the gravity magic with all your might.

_"The blades in that world hit harder..." _You hissed as you pushed yourself up.

_"They hurt far more!" _You didn't mean physical pain, but emotionally, the swords from that other world hurt more. Every time you swung the blade at a player, they would die in the real world as well.

Once your HP dropped to zero, it was over.

Sugou walked over, a smug smile on his face. He wanted to slap you, but you caught his hand, giving him a cold glare.

_"System login...ID Healthcliff." _You logged into Kayaba Akihiko's account. Somehow you just _knew_ his ID, but you weren't cheating. You were merely trying to play fair.

You summoned the legendary sword, throwing it to Sugou who was barely able to catch it.

You picked up your own sword and offered a duel with him, to end it all.

_"It's time to finish this fight. Between the king of thieves and a gilded hero!"_ You set the pain absorber to level 0 successfully scaring Sugou. His attacks were weak and wild, you were able to easily block every attack. He went crying with just a small scratch on the cheek.

_"Painful isn't it?" _You gave him a small smile.

_"But you hurt Asuna far more!" _You cut off his hand and he screeched at the unbearable pain. You went ballistic, cutting him into pieces, until it was finally just his head, and you destroyed him once and for all.

You cut the chains that was holding Asuna up and both of you fell onto your knees. You gave her a hug, before your brave mask crumbled and you started sobbing into her warm embrace.

She talked about how she believed in you, how you were her hero and you denied it. You said that you had no power at all, you couldn't protect her, but you vowed to protect her no matter what happens next.

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><p>You woke up in a hurry, speeding your way through the empty streets and heading straight to Asuna's hospital room.<p>

She looked so godly, her face illuminated by the moonlight, and for once, she was truly _there. _Not a virtual avatar in SAO, but truly _there,_ Yuuki Asuna, the girl you had fell in love with.

She turned her head towards you, and you stalked over, wanting—_needing_—to hold her close.

She gave you one of her smiles again, the one that you fell in love with and you couldn't help but hold her close, as close as physically possible and give her a long, sweet kiss.

Oh, that kiss marked your revival from the death game, everything was over now. You can finally go back to your old life now that you know she's safe and will stay by your side for eternity.

I stared at the mirror for a long, long time.

Who am I?

I am Kirito, the beater, the Black Swordsman.

Yes, I am all of these, but that is not all I am.

I am Kirigaya Kazuto, a normal 17 year old who was once trapped inside Sword Art Online, a virtual death game that was not only a game, but a game of life and death. I am the boy who distanced himself from everything, no matter if it was in the real world or the virtual world.

But I am still me, Kirigaya Kazuto, and that will never change.

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><p><strong>It's so long! Anyways, tell me about your thoughts! <strong>

**R&R Please!**


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